Eagles to draft first overall in 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft

The lottery to determine the Top 5 picks for the 2024 QMJHL Entry Draft presented by Fenplast took place this evening on RDS, during a special broadcast of the Hockey 360 show.

The Cape Breton Eagles have won the lottery and will have the chance to draft first overall at Moncton’s Avenir Centre on June 7.

The Eagles will be selecting first for the second time in three years. In 2022, they drafted defenceman Tomas Lavoie with the first pick.

The Eagles benefited from the first-round pick they acquired from the Saint John Sea Dogs, who finished the regular season 16th overall. With three of the 21 balls in the lottery, the Eagles had a 14 per cent chance of selecting first.

After finishing last in the overall standings, the Val-d’Or Foreurs had nine balls in play. After adding the six balls from the pick they acquired from the Québec Remparts, the Foreurs had a 71 per cent chance of winning the first overall pick.

Instead, Val-d’Or will have to settle for the second and third selections, ahead of the Remparts (pick acquired from the Charlottetown Islanders) and the Sea Dogs (pick acquired from the Gatineau Olympiques).

The Top 5 of the 2024 QMJHL Draft presented by Fenplast:
1- Cape Breton Eagles (via Saint John)
2- Val-d’Or Foreurs
3- Val-d’Or Foreurs (via Québec)
4- Québec Remparts (via Charlottetown)
5- Saint John Sea Dogs (via Gatineau)